I would’ve assumed old stock if it weren’t for the fact that you had a couple roasts out of the bag that behaved totally normally. Have you had the chance to taste any of the roasts that didn’t have a first crack yet?

It may have something to do with the moisture content of your beans. Did the beans expand as usual while roasting? I’ve only ever really noticed this happening in greens that are a bit too old.

You may have a local water distiller where you can take refillable containers. This is what I did prior to installing an RO system. My local one had a 24/7 refill station so I could refill whenever I wanted. It’s significantly cheaper than buying from a store, reduces plastic use long-term, and you’re shopping local. From there, you can use Barista Hustle’s water recipes in order to try out different mineral contents. Personally, I preferred this because it’s significantly cheaper than buying the mineral packets and allowed for more experimentation.

They’re all about the same, just look at the thickness of the pans when deciding which one to buy. A thinner (~2mm) one will be a lot more reactive to temperature changes whereas a (3mm+) pan will be a much better tool for searing. The differences aren’t drastic enough that you need more than one unless you enjoy collecting. Premium brands aren’t necessarily going to perform better than cheaper ones, but I don’t think this necessarily means that they aren’t worth it. These pans should last more than a lifetime (my oldest has been going strong for a decade now), so if you’d like to treat yourself and have the means to do so, I say go for it. Things to pay attention to when comparing brands would be the cooking surface diameter, slope on the side walls, handle design, and whether or not the pan is riveted for easier cleaning.

The two relatively popular exceptions to the rule of all carbon steel being about the same would be Strata and Misen’s Carbon Nonstick. Both are tri-ply pans with an aluminum mid layer, so they should be significantly lighter and more reactive than pans of similar thickness. Misen’s take comes with a treatment on the steel that supposedly makes it less prone to sticking and unreactive to acidic foods. I’ve never tried the Strata, and I’ve not had Misen’s pan long enough to speak to the longevity of the treatment, but I can say that it was definitely less sticky than untreated carbon steel pans out the box (though with proper preheating it’s not a huge deal). Acidic foods do still strip seasoning off of the pans, but the treated base layer doesn’t rust so you don’t have to be paranoid about cleaning (though I would say not to be paranoid no matter what pan you get). If you or someone that you know may struggle to handle heavier pans, both of these options are great.

It’s the latter of the two. The focus is on a side character from the original game, but takes place in an entirely different map/kingdom. You don’t need to have played Hollow Knight, but there are little lore pieces that tickle the brain if you have (and didn’t just skip over all the dialogue). I’ve been really enjoying the game so far, and there’s only one runback that’s felt REALLY tedious, but it’s on what I’m assuming is an optional boss based on what I’ve played so far.

On the topic of ignoring everything else, I don’t think boot space and range tell the entire story of a car’s value. The EV6 and the Ioniq 5 both have much better suspensions and a quieter cabin than the Tesla, and both offer the option to change the baseline level of regenerative braking being applied for a smoother transition for drivers getting used to an EV platform (or anyone who just doesn’t want to use one-pedal driving). I personally disliked the Tesla software experience in my parents’ Model Y, which makes it so annoying that everything has to be done through the tablet. Both HMG cars have at least some buttons and knobs (and actual air vents!), and the option to use Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The range thing is also pretty driver dependent. I’m averaging slightly better efficiency on my EV6 than my parents’ Model Y even with more freeway miles, probably because I’m able to frequently coast.

If you get severe range anxiety/don’t have access to a home charger or are consistently filling up your trunk to the brim, then yeah you should buy a used Model Y. But for anyone else who might be considering an EV, I’d encourage you not to write the other 3 off (I have no experience with the Equinox, I didn’t even start looking for used ones because it doesn’t have Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and only has an 8 year free access to Maps in their infotainment system).

Policing the police I suppose. “Effect” can actually be used as a verb, and it means “to bring about a result”. So something could effect something else. It’s still used incorrectly in the original comment, I just wanted to contribute a nitpick I thought you’d appreciate.

As others have noted, the EU’s GDPR does contain a Right to Delete. Some states have implemented the right on an individual basis, but it’s going to be difficult to implement on a national basis because of the current political climate. A nationwide federal privacy law was in the works, but it contained a poison pill in the form of federal preemption, meaning that it would set a hard ceiling for data privacy that states wouldn’t be free to exceed with their own legislation.

If you’ve got the time, I would encourage you to reach out to your representative in the state legislature to advocate for a state privacy law. You can point towards California’s CCPA or Colorado’s CPA as examples of already active privacy law. Companies are already supposed to be in compliance with these laws, but only with respect to consumers in those states. Point out that there shouldn’t be much (if any) additional burden to extend that protection to your state. Your state AG can’t enforce your privacy rights if they’re not enshrined in legislation.

If your coffee is tasting watery, you probably need to increase your brew ratio. For a drip coffee, you want to be in the range of 1:15-1:18 depending on the bean and personal preference.

If your issue is the body/texture of the coffees here, you might prefer a brew method that doesn’t involve paper filters. Something like a moka pot or a french press would be a cheap way to dip your toes into this, and a moka pot brew with water added is probably the cheapest way to get something close to an Americano, which is what I assume you mean by black coffee.

Also, you’re going to see people recommending that you buy specialty coffee from a local roaster, but I don’t think that should be the first move you make if your goal is recreating your experience in Italy. American third wave coffee has a tendency towards highlighting origin characteristic and bright tones, which don’t lend themselves toward getting the result I think you’re looking for. If you want a roast-forward flavor profile, try using a mass-produced Italian supermarket brand like Illy or Lavazza.

Personally, I’m usually making a cortado with a bit of a longer ratio (1:2.5) to get more punchy fruit flavors out of my roasts. But if I’m evaluating a new bean/tweaking my roast, I’ll also brew on a V60/Orea V4 so that I can get a bit more flavor separation and nuance. Also since it’s summer, I’ll sometimes do a Japanese iced coffee in the afternoons.

Usually, it’s a robusta from Vietnam that’s been brewed using a phin, the dripper featured in the original picture. It’s often sweetened with a healthy dose of condensed milk to take some of the edge off of mass-produced and heavily roasted robusta.

You can try using this tool by Unspecialty to get an idea of the grind size/uniformity without buying any fancy equipment. As far as whether your grinder is up to snuff, I think how the coffee tastes to you is the best determinant. If it tastes good to you, it’s good coffee :)

Assuming that you’re looking for filter coffee, the Specialty Coffee Association and European Coffee Brewing Center both have certification programs for home coffee makers. None of these machines should be a barrier to getting a great cup of coffee, so you can comfortably focus on picking a machine based on price/aesthetic/convenience features from either of these lists. Even if you don’t want anything from these lists, looking at their guidelines will be helpful in knowing what to look for when selecting a machine. Naturally, the lists are nonexhaustive and only feature machines that have paid for the certification testing.

If you’re interested in manual brewers, some of the more accessible brewers would be the Clever Dripper, Ceado Hoop, Aeropress, or the Hario Switch. None of these brewers gets much benefit from using a gooseneck kettle, so you won’t need to jump too far down the rabbit hole.

I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t concerned about the taste of your coffee at all, sorry if that’s how it came across! I tried to stay away from the elitist tendencies that creep in when talking about coffee gear because I find it counterproductive and off-putting, and what’s more important than anything is that we all enjoy the cups that we brew.

If you’re brewing with an Aeropress, I can see why the value proposition of more expensive grinders seems a bit suspect. It’s a very forgiving brewer (and the perfect size for travel), which is one of its greatest strengths. Immersion brewers are tolerant of a significantly wider range of grind sizes and tend towards producing rounder flavors and more even extractions. This is an obvious oversimplification of the Aeropress, since there’s some absolutely wild World Aeropress Championship recipes (especially from a couple years ago), but I think there isn’t a need to dial in much on the Aeropress because it’s so forgiving. I feel like I’d have to actively try to get a bad result out of an Aeropress, which is a huge testament to how great it is.

My personal preference when it comes to filter coffee at home is either a V60 or an Orea V4. Generalizing again, but the grinder becomes a lot more important in pour overs because it reduces variables when it comes to your extraction. A more uniform grind allows water to trickle through the bed at similar rates. Too many boulders and fines in the bed can lead to a cup tasting simultaneously bitter and acidic, which doesn’t really happen in my experience with the Aeropress. However, the cups that I get when I have the beans dialed in offer more clarity and flavor separation than I get from an Aeropress, which isn’t necessarily better, just different.

I’d tend to agree with you on electric grinders, by and large. It feels like you’re either better suited buying a hand grinder for the same price as your budget, or you’d need to spend substantially more for an electric grinder that can match a $200 hand grinder. If you’re interested in an electric grinder, a little bit handy, and have the counter space, you might want to keep an eye out for used commercial grinders. I’ve seen quite a few Mazzer Super Jollys and their rebranded cousins in my area, so you might be able to eventually pick up one in yours for a steal.

Generally speaking, more expensive grinders are going to be better aligned, offer more grind size options, and have burr geometries that are suited to particular types of brew methods. In the case of hand grinders, they’ll also probably be significantly easier to crank than something like a Hario Mini Slim. I personally found that when I switched from the Hario to a more expensive hand grinder about 7 years ago, I was getting cups that were tastier and more consistent. I’m not going to pretend that it’s worth the additional cost for everyone, but for me personally it was about getting more of what I want from coffee rather than what I need.

I’m going to stray from the crowd here and sing the praises of ethyl acetate (EA or sugarcane) decaffeination. In my experience, it’s produced the most consistently “good” decafs. I’ve had plenty of good SWP beans, but sometimes they result in a more muted flavor. I have yet to have an EA decaf where I’ve felt that it was lacking for any reason other than roaster error (the roaster being myself). Some of my EA roasts have been so good that my friends have expressed skepticism about it actually being decaf.

That being said, I think if you purchase from a roaster who really takes pride in their decaf, they’re unlikely to source a SWP (or really any decaffeination method) that doesn’t result in a tasty, flavorful cup. Nobody in specialty coffee sets out to make a roast that a customer doesn’t like. That being said, I would avoid any roaster who doesn’t openly advertise which decaffeination method was used. To me, it signals either lack of pride in the end result or a lack of care in sourcing.

What grit did you use for this? I’ve always been curious about sanding down the rougher surfaces, but haven’t pulled the trigger since I’ve read conflicting results about seasoning after the fact.

Personally, I’d just keep cooking with it. I wish someone had told me that when I was getting started with carbon steel. In my experience, keeping the seasoning visually even across the pan is much harder on carbon steel than cast iron. I was restarting constantly because it would look splotchy, but eventually gave up on that. As long as it performs fine and there’s no rust, there’s nothing to worry about. Eventually it’ll all even out.

Internet Shaquille is something that hasn’t been mentioned yet that I think really resonates with what you’re looking for. All of his videos are short, focused, and aimed at helping regular people in the kitchen (with the exception of his April Fools videos, which satirize clickbait videos). There is some humor, but the information density of his videos reflects his ethos of not wanting to waste your time. To this end, sponsor reads appear at the end of the video (if they’re sponsored at all), so you can completely skip them.

Unfortunately, I think this feature is app-specific since it’s not something that Lemmy itself supports. I’m sure that if the feature is implemented into Lemmy proper, LJD will implement the official solution with a method to merge the preexisting filter lists.

You can add instances to the filter here Settings shortcut: Filters > Instance filters